ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Women and the Vote NYS announces that a new initiative, timed to coincide with the 19th Amendment Centennial, is being launched to develop a mobile-friendly online database with interactive map of gravesites across New York State of the suffragists who worked tirelessly to bring about women’s right to vote.
The goal is to catalogue both well-known suffragists, regardless of gender, as well as individuals whose contributions may be all but lost to history. Additionally, the site will provide links to voter registration.
A second focus of the project will take place on Election Day 2020, when filmmakers from across the state will be stationed at suffragists’ gravesites to interview visitors coming with their “I Voted’ stickers. Those interviews will be assembled and edited into a documentary film, ELECTION DAY 2020 NYS.
Residents across New York State who know of, or are related to, an individual who took an active role in the Suffragist movement are invited to help identify their gravesite by visiting the website http://www.womenandthevotenys.com/ and adding information, including:
* Name of the suffragist
* Name and location of the cemetery where the suffragist is buried
* Names of any living relatives
* Suffragist activities in which the individual was involved
* Photo of the gravesite or other historic photos
In addition to adding suffragist listings to the website, residents are invited to join the “Suffragist Search Parties,” in which groups of volunteers will populate the website catalogue by entering information on suffragists.
Rochester-based party dates include:
* Saturday, February 22 from 10 am to 1 pm at the National Susan B. Anthony Museum and House Carriage House, 17 Madison St, Rochester, NY
* Saturday, March 14 from 10 am to 1 pm at the 1872 Café, 431 W Main St, Rochester, NY
* Friday, March 27 from 9 am to 12 noon at the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries. University of Rochester
* Saturday, April 4 from 10 am to 1 pm at the 1872 Café
* Friday April 24 from 9 am to 12 noon at the Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation
Because of space limitations, residents interested in volunteering to participate in these events through researching, fact checking, and entering confirmed suffragist submissions must register in advance, by sending an email noting date(s) available to info@womenandthevotenys.com. Volunteers will need to supply their own computers for data entry
This project is the brainchild of Emmy award-winning documentary filmmaker, programmer, and educator Linda Moroney, owner of Low to the Ground Productions. Linda will produce and direct the documentary ELECTION DAY 2020 NYS. Collaborating on this project will be award-winning storyteller Lorraine Woerner-MacGowan, owner of Four Cats Creative and Laura Chekow, film educator, aficionado, and community project coordinator.
In sharing the mission of this project, Linda Moroney explained, “After making ELECTION DAY 2016, it was clear there was a much bigger story to tell from New York State’s vast involvement in the suffragist movement. Our goal is to connect the dots from that history to the present day and to shine a light on New York State’s rich suffragist legacy, as inclusively as possible.”
This program is being funded in part by Humanities New York with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The National Susan B. Anthony House & Museum serves as the fiscal sponsor for this project.
MORE INFORMATION: http://www.womenandthevotenys.com/
Low to the Ground Productions, owned by Linda Moroney and Todd McCammon, is a Rochester-based, independent film production company, dedicated to making compelling and innovative films since 2001.
Four Cats Creative is a Rochester-based digital media company. Owner Lorraine Woerner helps entrepreneurs, small businesses, and organizations develop their brand through storytelling across digital media. Her company is a certified New York State Minority Women Business Enterprise (WMBE).
The mission of Humanities New York is to strengthen critical society and the bonds of community, using the humanities to foster engaged inquiry and dialogue around social and cultural concerns.
The National Susan B. Anthony Museum & House interprets the great reformer’s vision and story, preserves and shares her National Historic Landmark home and headquarters, collects and exhibits artifacts related to her life and work, and offers tours and interpretive programs to inspire and challenge individuals to make a positive difference.
Related link: http://www.womenandthevotenys.com/
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